Sweet About Me
by Polkadotdotdot
Summary: It's the old story. Boy likes Girl. Girl likes Boy. Neither want to admit it. Boy gets on/off Girlfriend. Girl gets Boyfriend. Tony and Pepper discover that Happy Ever After can need a bit of a push. TS/PP
1. Cinderella Falls Off Her Shoes

Here we go! Brand new fic from me. For those of you who have read my other two Iron Man Fics (Which are in the same story-verse) you'll remember Pepper's sister Emma. She'll also be in this story. I like to keep the family members the same, makes it easier for me! This is a little bit of a different story that i'm sure most people can relate to at some point in time: Boy likes girl, girl likes boy, neither want to admit it, boy gets on off girlfriend, girl gets boyfriend and it all goes horribly wrong for both of them. Anyway, please enjoy!

--

Pepper sighed at her reflection in the mirror, pulling on her skin in a vain attempt to make it glow even a little bit. She pulled her hair back in a messy pony tail and ran some warm water into her sink before grabbing the bottle of face scrub from the small glass shelf. As much as Pepper loved her job (And she told herself every single say that she did) she didn't like the way it made her loose sleep and then ultimately loose a little bit of her sparkle.

She savored the feeling of the water against her skin, washing off the grime and smudged remains of the make up she had been wearing the day before. Suddenly she heard her phone ringing in the other room and she knew exactly who it was, fighting that pang that always hit in her chest ever since he had come back from Afghanistan. It was wrong, at least that's what she kept telling herself, to feel something for your boss. It was a professional relationship and she wouldn't let herself hope that there was even a tiny spark there whenever he gave her a certain look. It was true that he hadn't brought a woman home in a long time, which Pepper was happy about, although she was sure the dry cleaner was missing her.

"Hello?" She said, grabbing the phone from her bed.

"Morning sunshine" He chirped over the phone, "Did I wake you?" Pepper rolled her eyes.

"Morning Mr Stark, no you didn't wake me. I'm already up. What do you need?" She asked. She heard him make a tutting sound on the other end of the line.

"Nothing really, just wanted to check you'd be here on time..." he said innocently, "Oh and I'm in the mood for a Starbucks and a blueberry muffin" She smiled a little and ignored the tone of his voice at the start of his sentence. There was that hopeful feeling again.

"Sure thing, I'll bring them right over. Will that be all Mr Stark?"

"That will be all Miss Potts"

--

He could hear the clicking sounds of her heels against the marble floor from down in his work shop and he took it as his cue to jog up the stairs towards his kitchen where he smiled on spotting Pepper standing there organising the Starbucks on the counter.

"Morning Miss Potts" he said, walking up to the counter, picking up his breakfast and taking a bite. She gave him a small sweet smile and ignored the warmth in his eyes.

"Morning Mr Stark" She said, stopping him as he picked up one of the cups, "Wait, that's my caramel latte. This one is yours" She said prying her latte from his hands and handing him his mocha. He smiled warmly at her, watching the way she organised things, the way her loose hair bounced around her shoulders and how her eyes looked so clear. He always told himself that it was off limits, that she would never do anything that would harm her reputation. Her job and being good at it was something she was very proud of. He shook his head, realising that she was currently talking to him and he wasn't listening to a word she was saying.

"and you have the art opening tonight...Mr Stark? Tony, have you even been listening to a word I'm saying?" He nodded.

"Art opening sure, are you going?" He asked. Pepper froze for a moment in thought and then shrugged.

"Yeah I guess I am" He gave her a cheeky grin.

"Great, we can carpool!" He said, "Save on pollution and all that" Pepper shook her head while taking a sip of her coffee.

"No, you know what people will think!" She began but he waved his hand.

"Seriously you think about that far too much. You would be a far more relaxed person if you just let go of people's opinions" He picked up the last of his muffin and coffee and stood up, "Be ready for 8 Miss Potts" He quipped, leaving her alone and a little confused in his kitchen.

--

Pepper knew that Tony always looked good. Even when he was just in jeans and a filthy, grease covered tee shirt he still looked good but she knew he always looked his best in a suit. Better yet, an Armani tuxedo. He stood at the front door, checking his watch every few moments. 8.05pm.

"Where the hell is she?" He muttered to himself. He'd been telling himself the whole day that it wasn't a date. Pepper was not his date. She was his assistant and they were both going to the same place. It made sense to share a car. Maybe a drink. Maybe a dance.

"I believe she is what they call fashionably late" Jarvis said. Tony scowled at him and checked his watch again. 8.06pm.

At 8.07pm Pepper made her way down the stairs wearing a long silk jade green halterneck dress with an empire line. Her hair was straight and in a half up do, some small pieces falling around her face and her make up was light, highlighting her best features. Tony whistled in appreciation.

"Why Miss Potts, you look stunning" He said quietly, enjoying the blush that crept up on her face.

"Thank you Mr Stark, you look very handsome" she said. He lead her out to the car that was sitting at the front, Happy opening the door for both of them and then climbing in himself. They sat in silence but it wasn't awkward. Tony had a small smile on his face as he inhaled deeply through his nose, the light scent of vanilla hitting him and he guessed it could only be coming from one person. Maybe things would change between them, things had been less formal between them for a while now and he hoped it was because she maybe felt the same way he did.

The Disney hall was exactly as she remembered it, the same lights and same red carpet. Hundreds of photographers swarmed around the many people walking the steps towards the event. If anything it really was just a glorified open bar to music, but Pepper went along anyway. It was in her job description. She ignored the flutter in her chest as he guided her by the elbow, his other hand on her lower back, towards the entrance of the building and the bar.

Tony ordered at the bar and Pepper giggled causing him to raise an eyebrow.

"What?"

"I was just thinking..."

"About what exactly?"

"That I'll actually get this drink..." she quipped and he laughed lightly, the bartender putting down an extra dry vodka martini with extra olives. She smiled and picked up the drink. His hands were shaking out of nerves that he'd never admit to having as he downed his scotch in two gulps. Pepper didn't bother trying to keep up, matching Tony Stark drink for drink would just end in complete disaster. He put his second glass down just as Pepper finished her first.

"Do you want to dance?" He asked suddenly, catching the redhead off guard. She didn't get a chance to reply as she felt herself being lead towards the dance floor and she had a horrible thought that history was repeating itself. It was the exact same place after all. She couldn't help but suck in a breath as he pulled her close to him, the smell of his aftershave overloading her senses.

"Do you need me to fire you for this dance to not be awkward?" He asked suddenly, with a grin and a cheeky glint in his eye. Pepper laughed.

"You still couldn't last a day without me"

"Oh I wouldn't say that...I've grown up..."

"Right...Social Security number?"

"We've been through this, I have you to remember that for me"

"Or to write it on your hand" she said with a smile, "You know, just in case I have to leave suddenly"

He didn't know why but her mentioning that she might suddenly leave made his stomach tighten causing the scotch he had just downed to sit uncomfortably on his diaphragm.

"I need some air" He said suddenly, stopping the dance and walking towards the french doors and the balcony, his hand still holding Pepper's, bringing her with him.

He was standing with both hands braced on the edge of the balcony wall, his head dipped down. Pepper stood near him, also leaning on the wall.

"Tony? Are you okay?" She asked. He shook his head.

"You know, I'm not really sure..." He said, turning to her. There was something behind his eyes that scared her a little, an intensity that she could feel burning into every inch of her skin that he was looking at. She didn't know what to say to him as he took a step forward, his gaze still fixed on her.

"Things are different. I'm a different person and I think you have a lot to do with that" He said quietly, enjoying the light blush that crept up on Pepper's cheek.

"Thank you" She said softly. He moved forward and pushed the hair from her face gently, tilting her her face back towards his. Gently he pressed his lips against hers. It was almost as if he was afraid of breaking her. Her eyes fluttered shut as she gingerly increased the pressure against him, taking in the softness that she was feeling but suddenly something in her head began to scream at her. It was like a sudden bout of stage fright and she pulled away, blinking rapidly at him.

"I'm sorry Tony...I just can't" She said almost in a whisper. She dashed past him, leaving him alone with his thoughts on the balcony. He wasn't sure how long he had stood there but he soon discovered that he was no longer alone. Standing a few meters away from him in the exact same position was a slender brunette woman. She noticed that he was looking at her and she turned to give him a bright smile.

"Hi there, I'm Laura"

"Tony" he said. She walked towards him a little, her smile bright and drawing him in, "Can I get you a drink?"

--

She rushed her way through the crowds of well dressed people, doing her best not to betray how flustered she was. He had kissed her. Whats more, she had started to kiss him back. She cursed herself as the warm night air hit her bare skin, her heels scraping on the red carpet. Luckily the place was fairly empty at the front of the building, only a few remaining guests and parking attendants left.

As her pace quickened she suddenly forgot about the length of her dress and her toe became caught in the fabric, sending her stumbling forwards. She would have hit the floor if it wasn't for a pair of strong arms suddenly reaching out and grabbing her.

"Whoa! Easy there, you could have really hurt yourself!" A kinda voice said with a hint of laughter. Pepper looked up to see a handsome man smiling down at her. He had bright green eyes and very short blonde hair, his skin was tanned and he smelled faintly of cinnamon and coffee.

"Sorry" Pepper muttered, pulling herself up and brushing herself off, "These stupid heels!" She said laughing, trying to lighten the situation. He smiled at her.

"Well if I could be so bold to say, you look stunning" He said, making her blush, "I'm James" He said. Pepper smiled and blushed.

"I'm Pepper" She said. He looked towards where the cars were being parked and then back to Pepper.

"Do you want to go for a drink?" He asked. Pepper thought for a moment them smiled, she could use a friendly face.

"Sure"


	2. Princess and the Pea

His head was pounding when he opened his eyes. He was certainly in his own bed but there was something warm next to him. There was a sinking feeling in his stomach as he turned his head to see a fan of brunette hair over the pillow. There lay Laura, the charming brunette from the night before who smiled at him when he was feeling rejected.

Pepper.

He screwed his eyes shut at the thought of the red headed assistant. The beautiful woman that he had scared away by being far too forward but then, it wasn't all his fault. She had started to kiss him back and then she rejected him. She rejected him. Slowly he pulled himself from the bed and grabbed a pair of sweat pants, walking softly on bare feet from the bedroom.

He slowly slid down the stairs, the light stinging at his eyes, and made his way through the sitting room. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed something interesting, a blackberry sitting on the white sofa. Pepper's Blackberry. The little device that received all of Peppers calls and messages, everything was diverted to the little device. He picked it up and threw it from hand to hand while thinking about what to do.

He couldn't possibly tell Pepper about Laura, not after last night. Not after he'd kissed her, after telling her that he'd changed. He knew there was something there, she just wasn't ready for it yet. Suddenly the little PDA made a noise and new message popped on the screen. Even though he knew there was no-one else around, Tony still felt the need to look from side to side before opening it.

_"Hey Pepper, I had a great time last night. How about coffee? James x"_

He blinked at the message before dropping the Blackberry back on the sofa. Who in the hell was James? She had been with him last night and then he'd assumed she'd just gone home after being spooked. Who was this random guy asking his Pepper out for Coffee. He sneered at the thought and his mind wandered back to the Brunette in his bedroom. He was being a bit of a hypocrite, but two could play that game.

If she was going to toss him aside so easily then he could do the same.

--

She was shaking as she pulled up to the driveway of his home, her hands tense on the wheel. She knew that running out was a bad idea and she really should have gone back to apologise so that maybe this morning wouldn't be so awkward. Alright, so she gained a little. She met a perfectly charming lawyer who took her out for Martinis. He was practically everything she would want in a man. Witty, intelligent, charming and not to mention stunning. She wouldn't have been shocked to discover he used to be a male model.

"Good Morning Miss Potts" Jarvis greeted as she walked in the door, her heels clicking on the marble floor as she went, indicating to the entire house that she was there. She walked over to the sofa, putting her papers down and picking up her Blackberry that she'd accidentally left. She smiled reading the message, not noticing Tony watching her from the stairs.

"Morning" He said shortly, deciding to make himself known. She jumped at the sound of his voice, her heart thumping in her chest.

"Oh, Good morning Mr Stark" She said, willing her voice not to shake so much. He looked at her with interest, maybe she was sorry about what had happened the night before and this 'James' guy meant nothing. She relaxed a little when she saw his face soften.

"Listen Pepper, I..." Suddenly his voice was cut off by another one calling his name. A female voice.

"Tony? You around?" Yup, the voice was most certainly female. She watched as his mouth shut along with his eyes, almost in defeat. She was telling herself over and over that she wasn't going to let her eyes tear up. Laura made her way down the stairs, the bright beaming smile on her face. All Tony could do was will Pepper to stop staring at him like he had just ripped her heart out. Maybe he had.

"Hi there" Laura said with a smile towards Pepper who quickly swallowed the lump in her throat and plastered an extremely professional smile on her face, much like the smile she gave Christine Everhart. Why hadn't he asked for dry cleaning? Normally he couldn't get rid of them faster but this girl he'd kept. She didn't want to think about it.

"Hi, I'm Pepper. I'm Mr Starks personal assistant" She said. Tony didn't like how she had said his name, it was too sharp, too harsh. Laura continued to grin, completely unaware of the tension between the two. "Mr Stark, you have a meeting in an hour and a half" She said, giving tony a hard look. He frowned. If she was going to play hard ball then so was he.

"Cancel it. I'm taking Laura to brunch" He said. Once again Pepper flashed her most professional smile.

"Alright sir, but i'll be taking two hours for lunch" She quipped. Tony raised an eyebrow and put his arm around Laura's shoulder.

"Why is that?"

"Oh, I have a date" She smiled sweetly at him, ignoring the horrible stabbing pain in her gut. Tony's jaw set, the same pain in his own gut. "Will that be all Mr Stark?"

"That will be all Miss Potts"

--

It wasn't too bad, he supposed. Laura was lovely. She was pretty, funny, intelligent and could hold a good conversation as they ate. They had only gone to a small cafe that he knew about, he couldn't be bothered with anything fancy or over the top. They had gone their separate ways and exchanged phone numbers. He promised to call her.

He probably wouldn't.

It didn't matter how nice she was, how pretty, how funny. She wasn't the woman he was after. He threw himself down on his sofa, letting one of his legs hang off the side. Pepper was on her extended lunch break, on her date with James. He scowled. Silently he had hoped that she was only going out with the man to spite him. Spite he could deal with. Genuine affection for a man who wasn't him, he wasn't so sure he could deal with that.

"Sir, might I suggest you rest. You're blood pressure seems to be climbing" Jarvis suddenly rang. Tony sighed and sat up.

"Yeah I probably should" He said, rubbing his hands over his face, "Jarvis, what do you think of Laura?"

"I believe she is pleasant sir" Tony rolled his eyes. That was the exact description of the brunette. Pleasant. Easy to be around. Nice company. That was maybe the problem, there was no fire, no sarcastic humour, no banter.

Suddenly the front door of the house opened and Pepper walked in looking wind swept and happy, her face glowing. Tony hoped it was because of the afternoon sun.

"Good lunch?" He called lightly. She stood frozen in front of him for a moment, unsure how to go about answering. His body language gave away nothing about his mood. Was he still angry? Was he still acting petty? She couldn't help but wonder if this was going to turn into a horrible game that would only serve to hurt peoples feelings.

"It was...great" She said quietly. "I had a nice time, he was charming and very much a gentleman" She said. Tony frowned in thought for a moment. The game was still going.

"Good. I'm glad" He said sharply, "Miss Potts can you please call that florist that I use, I want to send some flowers" He quipped sitting up and faining cheerfulness. She gulped and nodded, pulling her Blackberry out and starting to type.

"Alright, what kind of flowers and what do you want on the card?" She asked, dreading the answer.

"A dozen red roses. The card should read something like "My dearest Laura..." or something like that. You get the idea" He said, watching her face very closely for some kind of reaction. Nothing. Her face was a mask as she typed in the task.

"Great. Now if you'll excuse me sir, I have some work to catch up on" She muttered, walking away from him as quickly as she could without falling on her high heels. She could hear the blood rushing in her ears and her heart thudding in her chest as she closed the door over in her office. She wouldn't let him see her cry, she was determined as she wiped the tears from her cheeks. Little did she know that he was feeling the exact same at the other end of the house. He sighed and picked up his phone, dialing in the number that was written on his hand.

This wasn't a game. This was war.


	3. Prince Charming Mark II

Tony Stark was good at lying. His conversation that she could hear from her office sounded happy, carefree and, thought it hurt to admit it, playful. It was that playful tone that he usually took with her that was currently being directed down the phone at another woman. To add insult to injury she had to put in an order for flowers for the bitch! She scowled at herself, She hardly knew the poor woman and she was cursing her name already.

To Tony however it was the longest, most strained conversation of his life. It was only ten minutes and mostly it was Laura who was doing the talking (He was thankful for that, he had nothing really to say), but to him it was awkward. Her voice wasn't as warm as Peppers, even when Pepper was angry with him or annoyed by him, there was always an undertone of affection.

"Tony? You still there?" He shook his head suddenly paying attention to the conversation.

"Yeah, sorry. Pepper was asking me something" He lied. Laura smiled on the other end of the phone.

"Oh yeah, your assistant. She's so nice" she said, Tony laughed a little bit, doubting Pepper felt the same about Laura.

"Yeah...she's the best" He said sadly.

"So it tonight okay?" She asked. Tony looked confused and cursed himself. She must have made plans while his mind was wandering.

"Um..."

"Dinner? Tonight? God, Tony we're going to have to work on your memory" She said with a laugh. He suddenly felt himself go very weak at the knees, so much that he had to slid onto the sofa. He whimpered an agreement and arranged a time to meet, getting off the phone as quickly as possible. She said 'We're'. We're going to work on your memory. To Tony that hinted of future dates, of something more than just a fling (Which was all it was intended to be and mostly to make Pepper squirm.) The clicking of heels indicated that he was no longer alone in the room.

"Those flowers you wanted delivered have been ordered and should arrive in under an hour" Pepper said, her voice cold and detached. He fought the urge the flinch at her harsh words. "Anything else you need me to do before I leave Mr Stark?"

He opened his mouth to speak but it seemed like no words would come out. She was expecting him to say something, to say anything. Any kind of gesture that indicated that he was even a tiny little bit sorry about that night and what was happening but instead he tipped his head to the side and gave her a puzzled look.

"Where is it you're going?" He asked. Pepper sighed.

"I'm going out to Dinner with James if you must know" She quipped. He felt his shouldered tighten and his jaw set at the mention of the mans name and suddenly all the thoughts of an apology vanished from his mind. He didn't care if he was being spiteful, he didn't care that she might be hurt. She had hurt him the moment she ran from that balcony.

"Right. Well yes actually, I'm going to need my Armani suit pressed and a table for two at the most exclusive restaurant you can find" He said, looking at her innocently. Pepper swallowed hard.

"Done. Will that be all Mr Stark?"

"That will be all Miss Potts" He said, ignoring the feeling of dread that he felt when she didn't seem to react.

--

"Are you alright?" James asked Pepper after a moment of silence. Two pair were in a restaurant that James had chosen, telling her that it was the most exclusive place in California. Pepper prayed that it wasn't the same place that she had booked for Tony. She smiled up from her Martini.

"Oh yeah i'm fine, i'm just great...really really really great..." She said, her sentence finished with a mutter as she finished her drink, signalling to the waiter for another. James frowned.

"Well...it's just that you seem a little tense. Is everything okay? Work getting you down?" He said, his soft green eyes smiling at her. For a moment she almost hated him for being so caring.

"Just...work has been a little busy" She said as her excuse. He nodded.

"I know exactly what you mean, I have this case at the moment..." He continued to speak about a lawsuit he was dealing with but Pepper had stopped listening. The blood drained from her already pale face and she was sure that she looked like she was going to pass out at any moment.

Through the door, held open by the host (Who was beyond ecstatic to have Tony "Iron Man" Stark eating in his establishment,) walked in Tony and Laura, his Armani suit pressed to perfection. Laura had her long dark hair flowing straight around her shoulders and her eyes were lined in black. Then Pepper noticed something that made her blood run cold. She was wearing the exact same cocktail dress, the identical black silk number was also wrapped around Laura's frame. James noticed that Pepper was suddenly focused behind him and he turned around to quickly glance.

"Oh right...I take it you didn't expect your boss to be here?" He asked. Pepper sighed, he was so sweet and understanding, she almost wanted to slap him. She shook her head.

"I'm so sorry! When I booked this place for him I had no idea we'd be in the same place. I just asked for a very exclusive restaurant!" She said, almost pleading with him and dipping her head so that Tony would see them. It didn't work.

Of course he had noticed that she was there, he had clocked her before the glass doors had even opened. Pepper had a way of doing that to him, she was always the first person he noticed when he went anywhere. Laura smiled.

"Hey, isn't that Pepper?" She said pointing over to the table. Tony smirked.

"Well so it is" He said, moving himself towards her table, holding in his laughter as her head dipped further. If she could have faded into the table cloth, she would have.

"Pepper, fancy seeing you here!" He said with a grin. Pepper forced her own.

"Hello Mr Stark, I wasn't aware it was here you would be eating tonight" She said. Tony shrugged.

"I like to branch out" He said. Pepper nodded towards Laura.

"Nice to see you again" She said. Laura grinned.

"Likewise, nice dress!" She winked, "I see you're a fan of Valentino too" Pepper didn't feel the need to reply to her, probably, innocent comment.

"Oh I'm sorry, James this is Tony Stark. Mr Stark, This is James Connolly" She said. The two men shook hands, giving each other polite smiles and Tony hoped that games felt the tighter than polite grip he hand on his hand. They didn't speak for a moment, Pepper taking a long sip of her drink and hoping it would soon start to work. A waiter came over and broke up the silence, much to Tony and Pepper's relief.

"Sir? You're table is ready..." he said, "Unless you would like to sit with your friends, we can arrange to have the table moved over here" Tony grinned at Pepper who scowled, James and Laura blissfully unaware of the secret fight that was going on. Truth was neither Tony or Pepper knew what the problem was anymore, it had started with a kiss. Now it was two people who were clearly crazy about each other trying 'out-date' each other. Pepper was shaking her head a little at him. Tony just grinned as he answered.

"That could be fun"

--

Dinner was nothing but tense for two members of the party. James and Laura happily kept up the conversation, Tony and Pepper joining in politely when they needed to. He was desperate to say something to her, compliments were sitting on the tip of his tongue but he wasn't free to say them. It wasn't exactly to polite to tell another woman how beautiful she looked when you were sitting across from your date. As the bill was put down, Laura moved out of her seat to use the rest room while James headed out to tip the valet. Pepper turned to Tony.

"I can't believe you're here!" She said. Tony shrugged.

"Hey you booked the place!" He said, holding his hands up in defence. Pepper sighed.

"I know but I didn't realise James was taking me to the same place! And then you get your table to join ours!" She stressed. Once again he shrugged.

"Hey, can't two friends double date?"

"Tony, I'm sorry about that night" She said "But I don't know what you're trying to do here" His eyes hardened suddenly and if Pepper hadn't been in the seat against the window she would have moved back.

"I'm not trying to do anything, I'm just out having a quiet dinner with my Girlfriend and happened to be in the same place as my friend who was also on a date..." he paused at the look on her face. It wasn't angry or stubborn. Pepper Potts was hurt.

"She's your girlfriend now?" She asked quietly. He didn't respond straight away, unsure how to go about answering.

"We're getting pretty close" he said, not confirming Pepper's question. Pepper just nodded, looking him in the eye.

"Well then. I'd hate to get in the middle of that" She said quietly, her voice shaking a little," If you'll excuse me, I have my boyfriend to meet. I promised I'd join him for a night cap" she quipped, standing up and walking away from the table, leaving Tony alone to watch her walk away. He hadn't even noticed Laura walk back to the table. He looked her up and down as the walked to his car, the black dressed didn't look nearly as good on her.

--

"Tony is a nice guy" James said as they walked up to Peppers front door. Pepper laughed ironically.

"Yeah...he's something alright" She said. They had stopped just to the side of her door, her back was against the wall and James was in front of her, closer than she had realised. He was smiling at her softly and his eyes seemed to shine. She inhaled deeply and breathed in his scent. Everything about him was different. His eyes weren't deep like the man she was used to, she couldn't drown in these. The green eyes that were drilling into her were sharp and his pupils like pin points. He smelled like surf and sun, she almost missed the scent of scotch, metal and Hugo Boss.

He pushed forward and pressed his lips against hers, his lips soft against hers. She closed her eyes and let his arms wrap around her waist, pulling her closer to his warm body. Her hands snaked up around his neck. It threw her to not have some messy dark hair to tangle her hands in so she moved them back to his shoulders, making it easier to pretend that this lovely charming man was someone completely different.

She was pretty sure she was going to regret what she was going to do as she fumbled with the door lock, his lips on her neck (She ignored the absence of facial hair scraping against her skin.) But she needed this. She needed to feel pretty and loved, even if it wasn't by the man that she really wanted.


	4. Sleeping Beauty Opens Hey Eyes

It was her phone ringing that woke him from a very peaceful sleep. Slowly he turned over to see the red head still sleeping soundly and he grabbed her phone to answer it, not wanting to wake her. He didn't expect who was on the other end of the line, especially at 6 in the morning.

"Hello?" James whispered into the phone. The line was silent. "Hello?" He asked again.

"Um...Hi, James?" A confused Tony asked on the other end of the phone. James sighed, she worked for the man yes but surely she deserved to come to work at a normal house, especially on a Saturday.

"Yeah it's me Tony, whats up?"

"Where is Pepper?" Tony asked, barley able to hold his temper. Who the hell did this guy think he was answering her phone?

"She's still sleeping, I'll get her to call you back" James said lightly. Tony growled on the other end.

"Yeah you do that" then the line went dead. James shrugged and put the phone down, content to snuggle back into the comfortable bed next to the sleeping beauty.

But sleeping beauty was doing anything but sleep. She was wide away, her eyes open and staring at the wall ahead, thankful her back was to him. She let the tears run horizontally along her face as she lay there, wondering how things had gotten so out of hand. Pepper had never been good with feelings. When her father died everyone expected her to crumble, to drown in her own tears but instead she did what she did best. She organised, tidied and controlled. As long as she was in control of something then Pepper would always be alright.

Pepper Potts was no longer in control. She couldn't control the never ending attack of emotions that seemed to appear whenever that man was near her. It was bad enough most of the time and then he revealed his true feelings and she went into meltdown. For a fraction of a second, when his lips were against hers, Pepper had lost control. And it scared the hell out of her.

Now each day seemed like a giant game of chess, each of them wondering how to take advantage of each situation. Two Innocent people were pawns, being placed to block the emotions of the king and queen. It wasn't fair, she knew it wasn't fair but she almost couldn't help herself. Every time the king made a move it cut her so deeply that she forgot there were even another two people involved in their twisted game and she felt compelled to retaliate. She closed her eyes and allowed the pain in her chest to continue to dig.

Pepper Potts had lost control.

--

Tony had been lying awake for hours before he decided to call her. He wanted to apologise, to tell her he was sorry for being so vindictive, so stubborn. There was a good chance that she wouldn't listen but he had to take a shot. There was only so much she would take before walking out of his life forever and that he would not stand for.

Gently, he slid himself out from under Laura's sleeping body and he pulled on some clothes, grabbing his cell phone and walking through to the sitting room so his call wouldn't wake the sleeping brunette.

One ring.

Two rings.

Three...

"Hello?" Tony frowned, that was definitely not Pepper's voice, "Hello?"

"Um, Hi...James?" Tony asked, knowing fine well that was who it was but why the hell was he answering Pepper's phone? Unless, unless she wasn't lying about that night cap. He felt sick to his stomach at the thought of the blonde man, his hands trailing down her naked skin. If his jaw were anymore tight then he may have broken a tooth.

"Yeah its me Tony, What's up?" _What's up? You take advantage of my assistant when she was upset and you ask what's up?!_ He pushed the bile back down from his throat, telling himself that was why James was in her bed. She was upset, upset at him, at the situation and she just needed someone. Anyone. Hell, Tony had done the same thing.

"Where is Pepper?" He growled, his hand tightening around the phone.

"She's still sleeping, I'll get her to call you back" James said. Tony saw red.

"Yeah you do that" He spat, hanging up on the other man. Without a second rational though he launched the phone across the room, the little device shattering into hundreds of tiny pieces against the wall and marble floor. After a moment to calm himself, to get his breathing back to normal, he shuffled back to the bedroom where Laura was sitting awake, the sheets pulled around her naked body and a sweet smile on her face.

"Morning, what was that noise?" She asked. Tony shrugged.

"Just a little issue in the workshop" he lied. He studied her quietly, she was so sweet and...well just plain nice, he felt awful for pulling her into the tug of war that was his emotions. It wasn't that he didn't like her, quite the opposite. She had a lot of brilliant qualities and any man would have been tripping over himself to have her in his bed. Even for Tony she was a far cry from the brainless women he had drunkenly dragged back and kicked out the next day, but there was one major problem.

She wasn't Pepper.

But Pepper was now currently lying in bed with a man who wasn't him. A man who she even let answer her phone (Alright, so she was asleep but that wasn't the point. He still felt comfortable enough to do such a thing. Tony plastered a smile on his face and looked to Laura.

"Tell me, Do you want to go away for the weekend?"

--

After a while of lying feeling sorry for herself, Pepper had finally pulled herself from the bed and gotten herself ready. She was polite and generally good natured with James. She didn't want to let him know that anything was wrong. After he had left for his work, Pepper picked up her phone to call Tony back.

One ring.

Two rings.

Three rings.

Four rings?

That was strange. Tony always picked up his phone to her, maybe he was still sulking. After a few more tries she sighed and dressed, deciding to go straight to his home and find out what was really happening.

"Jarvis?" Pepper asked on walking into the dark house. Suddenly the shades were raised and a voice spoke.

"Hello Miss Potts" Jarvis said, "Mr Stark has asked me to inform you that he is not here and will be gone for the weekend" He said. Pepper looked confused.

"Oh, well did he leave any note?" She asked.

"I believe there is something on the table for you"

She walked over to the table where a stack of papers lay, each with different things to do and organise. On the top sat a little yellow post-it note.

_"Miss Potts, I've taken Laura away for the weekend. Here is some of the things I need you to take care of. Mr Stark"_

There was nothing friendly about the note. Nothing warm or familiar. She may as well have been a stranger for all the personality it had. Her chest began to feel tight, her throat was closing and all the thoughts of apology and forgiveness began to dissolve until all that was left was the searing hot pain of sorrow and self pity that was beating in her chest. Slowly she sank to the floor, her knees no longer willing to hold her through it anymore.

Pepper cried. She cried for lost control, for herself, for Tony, for the pawns in their game and most of all she cried because she loved that man more than she knew how to deal with. She didn't even notice the small camera taking in her image and saving it for someone to see.

--

He smiled slightly as he walked back into his home from his weekend away, it was relaxing as he could have expected. He spent his time in the company of a pleasant girl who he was slowly starting to discover he had no feelings for at all.

"Honey I'm home!" he shouted to the AI who sprang to life.

"Welcome home sir, everything is in order. Miss Potts has done everything you requested including the arrangement of your costume for the fancy dress charity ball on Friday" Jarvis told him as he sat himself down.

It wasn't really as costume. Tony hated dressing up. It was basically a very expensive black with red pin stripe suit with 666 on the back. He already had the hair, the beard and the charm of Satan. Why not seal the deal. He nodded to himself.

"Alright, thanks Jarvis" He muttered.

"Sir, I believe there is something else you should see" he said. Tony raised an eyebrow.

"What's that?"

"Before you see this I feel I should tell you that I would never betray Miss Potts confidence if I didn't feel it was important..." at the mention of her name, Tony jumped to his feet, his heart pounding in his chest and panic on his face.

"What happened? Whats wrong?" He asked, moving to the stairs down to his work shop. He turned on all the screens and starting typing frantically on the keyboard.

"Show me what you're talking about Jarvis" he snapped.

"Sir, I believe you should calm down before..."

"SHOW. ME. NOW!" He shouted, his voice echoing around the metal walls.

The screen remained blank for a moment until it suddenly sprang to life and the image of Pepper walking into his home appeared on the screen. He watched as she looked around herself, asking Jarvis what was going on. He watched as the confused smile slid from her face and she walked over to the stack of papers, picking up the post-it note he'd left her. He knew that hadn't been a good idea. Then what he saw next broke his heart.

She was crying. Not just crying. Sobbing. Her knees seemed to buckle and she slid to the floor, her face in her hands and her shoulders shaking. He felt sick. He felt weak and he felt helpless. The sight of her sobbing on his floor was too much for him to take.

"Turn it off" He choked, wiping his hand over his face.

"I was going to sir, it doesn't really change after that. I only showed you because I was concerned for Miss Potts welfare" he said. Tony nodded.

"It's okay" he sighed. It was far from alright in Tony's eyes. The moment she sank to her knees his heart broke into peices. He loved that woman and it was about time he started acting like it.

--

This isn't going to be a very long story just to let you know. It'll probably just have one or two more chapters but always a happy ending :) I just needed something different to take my mind off 'The trick is to keep breathing'


	5. Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?

Just to answer every ones question; No i'm not stopping The Trick is to Keep Breathing. I just wanted to get this story out of my system and have a think about where the other fic was going :-)

--

Pepper wasn't totally sure how long she had been sitting on her living room floor crying. After an hour of being in Tony's home she had pulled herself together and grabbed the papers, leaving as quickly as she could. She had fallen into her own apartment and gotten changed, telling herself that it meant nothing. The weekend meant nothing.

As she sat hopelessly on her wooden floor, back leaning against the leather sofa, her phone began to ring again. The vibrations rang loudly against the floor but Pepper didn't pay any attention to it. She knew who it was. He had been calling her for hours now. At first the calls had been every few minutes but now they had stopped to every half hour. She sighed to herself in the darkness of her apartment. He hair was a mess (She'd pulled it out of the half up do it had been in and then just left it, now it was hanging limp and messy like she'd been dragged through a bush) and she was wearing a pair of black PJ pants and a vest top. Her face was stained with a mixture of dried tears and make-up.

Her phone began to ring again.

Just as she went to reach for it the front door suddenly opened. There, back lit by the hallway light stood her younger sister Emma, who looked down at her sadly. She had a bag full of chocolate, tissues and wine.

"Auw Pepper..." she said quietly, walking in and shutting the door behind her, "Tell me everything"

--

Tony frowned. It had been the 15th time he'd tried calling her and she still wasn't answering her phone. He swore if he heard her pre-recorded voice telling her to leave a message one more time her was going to scream.

"Sir, maybe you should stop calling her for a while? She may be trying to sleep?" Jarvis suggested. Tony snorted.

"Yeah or avoiding me altogether" He muttered, raking his hang through his hair. Jarvis didn't want to tell him that the latter was probably true.

"Man, I really screwed this one up" Tony said, mostly to himself but Jarvis listened anyway, "If i'd taken it slow...then she wouldn't have run off. Even then if i'd just gotten Laura home myself and apologised to Pepper before all of this exploded then we wouldn't have started this stupid little war we've got going on. I'm so sorry for dragging Laura into this..." He sighed to himself.

"May I suggest something sir?"

"Can't hurt..."

"Why don't you go and see Miss Potts" Jarvis said. Tony frowned, not quite knowing why that obvious suggestion hadn't popped into his head sooner.

"Well...what if she slams the door in my face?"

"You can talk through a wooden door I believe sir...it is much more effective than talking down a dead phone line" Tony smirked at the AI. He made a very good point. With a new found determination he grabbed his car keys and jumped into the R8 without even bothering with a jacket.

--

An hour later and Emma had been told the entire story. She knew how Pepper had ran from him on the balcony, she knew about how she'd met James and about the awful date that Tony had gatecrashed and most of all she knew how heart broken he sister really was about the whole thing. It was written all over her face.

She was soon starting to wonder if wine had been a good idea. It had helped Pepper to unwind yes but it also brought out all the emotions she had bottled up for so long and soon Pepper had been sobbing uncontrollably. Now Emma was helping her to wash her face and tidy her up.

"See, good as knew" She said smiling behind her sister as they both looked at her reflection in the bathroom mirror. Pepper sighed at herself.

"Why would he want me anyway, look at me!" She said. Emma raised an eyebrow. She didn't understand why Pepper couldn't see how damn beautiful she was. Even after crying uncontrollably for hours and with red eyes she still looked pretty. Her skin was clear and glowing and her hair, although messy, fell around her in casual kinks that made her look like she'd rolled out of bed but in a good way. Emma wrapped her arms around her sister from behind and kissed her on the cheek.

"Because you're beautiful Pep, even if you don't believe it" She said. Pepper gave her a weak smile but it suddenly fell when there was a hard knock on the door. Emma let go of her sister and walked to the door to look through the peep hole as Pepper popped her head from her bedroom. On the other side of the door stood tony, dressed in only jeans and a tee shirt, his arc reactor just visible under the heavy dark fabric. He looked nervous and he kept fidgeting with his hands. Emma turned to Pepper.

"It's Tony!" She mouthed. Pepper's face drained of colour but she stood up straight.

"You stay in here just now, I'm going to talk to him" She said quietly, walking from the bedroom to the door as there was another knock. Emma nodded and hid herself away in the bedroom. She took in a deep breath and opened the door.

He looked like a deer in headlights at the sudden appearance of the red head, who was a few inches shorter than he was now that she was in her bare feet. They both stood in awkward silence for a moment, neither wanting to say the first word to one another. He took in her appearance carefully. Her eyes were red, her skin flushed slightly and her hair, that was always so neat, was messy. She noticed that he was shuffling from

foot to foot, something he only did when he was nervous.

"I'm sorry..." "I'm sorry..." they both said at the same time, laughing awkwardly at each other. She took another deep breath and tried again.

"I'm sorry, I didn't hear your calls..." Pepper lied. Tony raised an eyebrow and held up his own Blackberry.

"Pepper" He said clearly and a little louder than usual. The phone in his hand sprung to life and started dialing and a few seconds later he could hear the loud ring of Peppers own phone. He almost laughed as she winced.

"Well then, looks like i'll have to get your hearing checked" He quipped. She narrowed her eyes at him, "Come on Pepper, why are you avoiding my calls?"

"I'm not...I just don't feel like talking..." She muttered.

"Lies!" Came a shout from behind the bedroom door. Tony noticed it was a female and he guessed it was Pepper's sister. Pepper turned around and scowled at the bedroom door.

"Oh thanks a lot!" she shouted, rolling her eyes when a 'You're welcome' was shouted back. She looked at Tony who was smirking while waiting for an answer.

"Tony i've just been avoiding my phone altogether okay. I really just didn't want to talk to anyone other than my sister okay?" She said quietly, her arms crossing over her chest. Tony tipped his head to the side, moving a little closer to her.

"Any reason why?" He asked. Pepper shrugged.

"No..."

"No?"

"Look NO! I just...need a bit of space...from men" She muttered. Tony smirked.

"From me or James?"

"Both if you must know!"

"What have I done?!"

"What haven't you done!" She shouted, anger suddenly overtaking her grief. "Seriously Tony, you're rubbing salt in a wound here!"

"What wound?"

"Like you don't know..."

"No Pepper, I don't know" He sighed, "I don't know what's going on with us anymore! It's like a damn tug of war and we're not getting anywhere!" He suddenly stepped closer to her but she didn't move.

"I know for a fact that you don't feel a damn thing for that guy...just like I don't feel anything for Laura" He said softly, reaching out and wiping away the tear that was falling down Pepper's cheek, "You're way too pretty to cry like that" She didn't say anything in reply, she just moved her face away with a small smile.

"It's late," he said suddenly, "I'll let you get some sleep" He walked away, leaving Pepper alone in the hallway of her building, her hearth thudding in her chest and a grin breaking out over her face.


	6. Happy Ever After in a Fish Tank

Right i'm going to be honest - A lot of this was totally inspired/taken from the movie Romeo and Juliet, from the scene at the party. It was this part of the film that inspired the story in the first place.

--

It had been the first night Pepper had gotten a good nights sleep since their stupid game had started. She had stood out in her hallway after he had left, taking in everything, from the feel of his hand on her cheek to the way he smelled. Eventually Emma had run from her bedroom to pull her back into the living room and grill her about every detail.

She rolled over in her haze as her phone began to ring, she didn't even bother to check who it was.

"Hello?"

"Hey baby" James chirped on the other end of the phone. Pepper winced, she hadn't been expecting him.

"Oh..hey...you" She said, his voice gruff and thick with sleep.

"So are you all ready for tonight? What time am I picking you up? 7?" He asked. It took Pepper a moment to realised what on earth he was talking about.

"Tonight?"

"You know, the Charity fancy dress ball! You are still going?" Pepper groaned under her breath.

"Oh that! Yeah...7 is fine" She said deadpan but James didn't seem to notice.

"Great! I'll see you then baby"

Pepper groaned again as she hung up the phone. She hated it when he called her that, it sounded so fake and unnatural to her. Maybe he knew that there was something going on under the surface? That she didn't really like him as much as she was making out. Pepper had decided that tonight was the night it was all going to end.

--

Tony hadn't slept a wink the entire night he had gotten back, and it wasn't for lack of trying. All he could think about was the look on her face, how bright her eyes were and how suddenly he felt a twinge of hope in his chest. However the brunette that was currently changing in his room did put a dull haze over things.

"Well what do you think? Tony? TONY!" Laura shouted, waving her hands in front of his face. He suddenly snapped out of his own thoughts and turned to her.

"Huh? Sorry...I was miles away" He muttered. She rolled her eyes and smiled at him. She was standing in front of him wearing a purple silk on shouldered dress that came to the floor. It had gold trims and a gold belt that sat under her bust. Her hair was in a bun with braids around it, the perfect Greek Goddess.

"I noticed, I asked what you thought" She said. Tony looked her up and down and smiled.

"You look great" He said with a small smile. Laura sighed lightly. There was something wrong with the man but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. She checked the time on the bed side clock.

"Come on, we're going to be late! Get dressed!" She stressed, picking his costume (Black suit with red pinstripes) out of the wardrobe and handing it to him. He took it without any hesitation, a sudden excited pang in his chest when he thought about seeing Pepper there. He wondered what she would be wearing as he put his own suit on and when Laura stood in front of him to do his tie he didn't see her face, he saw Pepper.

The car ride over was silent and tense. Laura was looking out of her window and Tony was looking out of his but she was getting sick of the tension.

"Tony?" She said quietly.

"Yes?" he said turning to her innocently. She looked at him sadly.

"What are we doing here?" She said quietly. He shrugged and looked a little bit confused.

"Well we're going to a fancy dress benefit..."

"No Tony, I mean with us" The confusion fell from his face and he nodded.

"I...don't know..." He was being honest. He knew exactly how he felt about Pepper, all he was doing with Laura was stringing her along.

"Yes you do Tony" She said, her voice was a little harder than it usually was but her face was still soft, "You know exactly how you feel and how you feel it for" She said, a small smirk on her face. Tony tilted his head to the side with a curious smile.

"How do you..." His sentence was cut off by her light laughing.

"Oh please, it's written all over your face every time she steps into the room" she said. Tony blushed and looked away but turned back when he felt her grab his hand, "Listen, you're a great guy and I hope that things work out for you okay?"

"Thanks" he said quietly with a smile, "You know, not many women would be as understanding as you are" She shrugged.

"Not all women are hopeless romantics. Its a gift and a curse" she said with a laugh as the car drew to a stop outside the building. "Come on, we'll go in together" She said lightly. He grinned and nodded as the car door opened.

The inside of the ballroom was brightly coloured with rich colours. Gold, red and purple were all over the place, hanging on the walls, on the staff uniforms and on the tables. There were all kinds of different costumes. Knights, Romans, Superheros (They made Tony snicker), Cats and even a few famous movie characters were mingling. They made their way to the bar but neither Tony nor Laura could spy Pepper or even James among the hundreds of people.

"I don't even know what she's dressed as" Tony muttered, picking up his scotch. Laura patted his back lightly.

"Don't worry i'm sure you'll find her" She said gently. Tony just nodded and took another glug of his drink. There was a woman singing on stage and couples had began to fill the floor as the slow music began to fill the room. He downed his drink and turned to Laura.

"Give me a sec, i'm going to take a turn around the place" He muttered and she nodded, content to stand at the bar and talk to anyone that wanted to speak to her. He walked slowly around the place, smiling and greeting anyone who noticed him or greeted him in return but he didn't put anything into it. He was only looking for one person.

Pepper was bored. Despite the indulgent surroundings, the music, the lights and the very strong drink in her hand, Pepper was still horribly bored. James had asked if it was alright if he could dance with a woman that he knew from an old law firm and Pepper had happily agreed, wondering why the hell he'd feel the need to ask her permission in the first place but then she remembered they were still technically dating. She began to walk around the room, smiling politely at the people that she knew.

She almost sighed in relief as she found herself in a slightly more quiet area of the ball room, just near the doors that lead out to the balcony. In front of the two windows, on either side of the french doors, were two tall fish tanks. In each tank were lots of different tropical fish swimming around, each darting and drifting around the well placed coral and plants in the blue tinted water. With a small amused smile Pepper turned her gaze from James and the random woman on the dance floor to the fish. The woman was still singing on stage, on of Pepper's favorite songs from what she could hear.

She wondered if she was a bad person for not feeling a thing about James dancing with the other woman. The woman was pretty. If that had been any other man she would have been jealous. Who was she kidding, only if it had been one certain man would she have been jealous. She had been planning to talk to him, to apologise, to set everything right but there was one major flaw in her plan.

She couldn't find him.

Her wings moved as she did. They were real white feather and instead of sitting flush against her back they stuck out the smallest amount, making them seem real and matching in with her white halter neck dress. As she moved along the tank a little she noticed something that startled her. Through the arch of a piece of purple coral, another eye was looking at her. A very familiar eye.

They both shot upright at the same moment, their eyes locking, both of them startled. After trying to look for each other the whole night, they were now (Almost) face to face. Only a wall of glass, water and fish blocking them. Neither moved for a moment, both staring at each other, their images warped a little by the water. He smiled, moving his head a little along the tank to get a better look at her. He noticed that her hair was pulled from the front and twisted around in a loop sitting on her head, like a halo. He felt a pang in his chest that he was pretty sure was love when she smiled back, also moving her head to try and see him.

It was like a game. They ducked and weaved around, both smiling at each other, like they had just met for the very first time. He was taking in everything about her. Her glowing skin, her bright eyes, her amazing smile and how he couldn't imagine being with anyone else. Pepper in turn was almost taking a mental picture of Tony, remembering all the little things that made her fall for him in the first place. His eyes were deep but still shining at her and his smile was playful and sweet. She could feel her heart thumping in her chest and all thoughts of James were slowly melting away from her head. She watched with curiosity as he breathed on the glass, fogging it up. She held her breath as he raised his hand and wrote across the glass.

There imprinted on the glass in a vertical line was "I", a heart and "You". I love you. He was looking sheepish now, his hands jammed in his pockets and his gaze falling to his shoes, occasionally looking up back through the fish tank with a small smile, like a school boy who had just passed a note to a girl in class. She could feel tears pricking the back of her eyes. He loved her. It was written all over his face, not to mention the fish tank.

Just as she was about to reply she saw the smile slip from his face and twist into something that looked like disappointment. Then she felt someones hand on hers, it was James and he was pulling her towards the dance floor. She secretly was thankful he didn't see the message on the glass or Tony on the other side. This was something she'd have to break to him herself.

Tony watched as the image of Pepper was suddenly pulled from the tank and he walked quickly back into the room, following the couple and he watched as she was twirled onto the dance floor. He stopped just at the top of the small flight of stairs that looked over the floor, holding onto one of the golder pillars at the top for support. She didn't look comfortable in the other man's arms he noticed (He wasn't sure if he was right to be smug about it) and she kept trying to look for him at any turn she could.

"Are you alright?" He asked, his face a picture of concern. Pepper almost hated how much care he had in his eyes. It was making things a hundred times harder. She sucked in a deep breath and shook her head.

"Actually James...it's not" She said quietly as they slowed on the floor, "There's something I need to tell you..." She swallowed hard. He was looking at her like a confused, lost puppy. She would have screamed in frustration if she wasn't so damn scared.

"What is it?" He asked. Now or never, Pepper thought.

"I'm in love with someone else..." She started but paused when he smiled.

"I thought as much" He said softly with a gentle smile. Pepper frowned, for some reason she hoped that maybe her confession would have had a bit more of an impact. James turned his head towards the stairs that Tony was making his way down towards them, Pepper followed suit and then looked back to James who shrugged at her.

"It was obvious Pepper" He said quietly. She looked like she was about to cry once more.

"I'm really sorry..." She began, but he cut her off.

"Don't be...the heart wants what it wants" He said, letting go of her hands and taking a step back when a very familiar voice made its way into their conversation.

"May I cut in?" The voice said and a suddenly familiar hand took her own while the other went to her waist, pulling her close to him. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, she hadn't felt so comfortable in a very long time. He leaned in close to her ear, his facial hair tickling her face.

"I love you" He whispered, his hot breath sending a wonderful shiver up her spine, "It's always been you Pep" She didn't know how to respond. What to say. So she settled for showing him. She pressed her lips against his in a gentle kiss, drawing on all the pent up frustration that she had been harbouring for the past month. It soon grew into something far more passionate as his tongue ran along hers and her teeth gently nipped at his bottom lip. She could feel him smile against her. Then she pulled away and they continued to dance as if nothing had happened, the only evidence was the slightly dazed expression on Tony Stark's face and the small smile on Pepper's face. He grinned as she leaned into his ear.

"I love you too"

"Hey again" Laura said to James. He had moved from the dance floor to the bar and hadn't noticed Laura standing there. He gave her a warm but sad smile.

"Oh hey, I didn't see you there" He said, moving over to stand by her, "So...I take it Tony told you then?"

"No no, I told him. He admitted it" She said with a giggle, "Honestly, you men sometimes!" They both looked back out to the dance floor where the new couple were kissing.

"They do look really happy though" She said lightly. James smiled at them then looked to Laura. He'd never noticed how pretty she was before, since at the time he'd been with Pepper.

"Hey...can I get you a drink?" He asked. She grinned at him.

"Sure"

--

One more chapter to go!


End file.
